Apparatus for tabulating and collecting purchase payments



1965 E. J. KUEHL ETAL 3,202,345

APPARATUS FOR TABULATING AND COLLECTING PURCHASE PAYMENTS Filed Feb. 20, 1964 @SSL Q W I 36 3: fi 30 & Q

a 4 INVENTORS. mm. J. 1:11:31. BY LAMAYR. KUEHL HTTOR NE V5 United States Patent M 3,202,345 APPARATUS FOR TABULATING AND CGLLECTING PURCHASE PAYMENTS Earl .i. Kuehl and La May R. Kuehl, both of 11127 W. Biucrnound Road, Milwaukee, Wis. Filed Feb. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 346,209 4 Claims. (Cl. 2321) This invention relates to an improved apparatus for tabulating and collecting purchase payments in restaurants or the like.

As is well known, in the conventional operation of a restaurant or diner, when a customer makes a purchase the waitress or sales person writes out a check indicating the amount of his purchase, and when the customer is through he pays the amount indicated thereon either directly to the waitress, or he presents the check and his money to a cashier. This conventional method is time consuming and inefiicient since it requires that the waitress write out and total each check, and, in addition, the employment of a cashier for the sole purpose of handling money substantially increases the operating cost of the restaurant. Moreover, it is an unfortunate fact that a significant percentage of many restaurants daily profits are lost through cumulative petty thefts by waitresses and other employees. With these considerations in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus for handling purchases in restaurants and the like which eliminates the necessity for the waitress writing out a check for each customer, and which eliminates the handling of money by either the waitress or a cashier.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel device for mounting at each customer station in a diner or restaurant, which device includes a simple, abacus-like instrument which can be quickly manipulated by the waitress to compute and visually indicate the cost of the customers purchases, thereby eliminating the necessity for a written memorandum, and which device includes an integral, closed money receptacle or container into which the customer can insert the indicated amount of money, said container normally being emptied by the restaurant proprietor or manager at the end of the business day or at any other convenient time, thus eliminating the handling of money by waitresses or other employees.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel combination purchase indicator and money receptacle which is designed primarily for use in restaurants and diners, as described, and which is particularly well adapted for use therein, but which can also be advantageously utilized in other commercial establishments, as well.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide a novel purchase-handling apparatus as described which is relatively simple and inexpensive in design, rugged and durable in construction, foolproof in operation, and which is otherwise particularly Well adapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention comprises the improved apparatus for handling purchases in restaurants and other commercial establishments as set forth in the following specification, and any i and all modifications or variations therein as maycome within the spirit of said invention and within the scope of the appended claims. i p

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the novel combination purchase indicator and money receptacle characterizing the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled device; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of said device.

3,2fi2fid5 Patented Aug. 2 1965 Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that the novel apparatus featured in the present invention includes a box-like container 10, and projecting upwardly therefrom is an abacus-like monetary indicator which is designated generally by the numeral 40. Said container 10 includes a front wall 11, bottom 13, side or end walls 14 and 15, and a back wall 12 having a removable panel 17 therein (FIG. 2), said panel being provided with a key-operated lock mecha nism 18 adapted to releasably secure the same in position within said container wall.

The upper portion of said container 10 is provided with an angled, upwardly converging front portion 20 and rear portion 21 which have their major surface portions cut out, as shown, and which are provided with marginal panel-receiving flanges 20' and 21, respective ly. The rear upper wall portion 21 has a transparent glass -or plastic panel 22 permanently mounted therein, and when the unit is completely assembled the forward upper Wall opening is also covered by a transparent panel, as will be described.

As is illustrated in FIG. 2, a rotatable rod 24 is mounted longitudinally within the upper portion of said box-like container or housing 10, and attached to and rotatable with said rod is a fiat plate 25 which substantially spans the length and width of said container. A semi-circular divider 26 is formed on said plate 25 and is positioned to one side of the plate longitudinal midpoint to define a first money compartment 27 and a smaller second compartment 28. Said plate 25 is rotatable, as described, andas appears in FIG. 2, the container front and back walls are provided with downwardly-inwardly curved inner wall elements 33 which conform to the arc described by the plate longitudinal edges when said plate is rotated. The result is a close fit between said plate and the container walls when said plate is tilted within the limits prescribed by said curved wall elements 38.

Said elongated, rotatable rod 24 projects outwardly through an aperture 30 in the container end wall 14, and mounted fast on the outer, projecting portion of said rod is a disc 31 having a peripheral arcuate cut-out 32 therein adapted to releasably receive a stud 33 projecting from the surface of said wall member 14. Said stud is normally positionedbetween the spaced shoulders 32 formed by said disc cut-out, and the rotation of the rod and disc assembly is normally limited to the distance between saidshoulders, since theabutment of one of said disc shoulders against said stud prevents further rotation in that direction. Thedistance between said cut-out shoulders 32 and the corresponding maximum allowable rotation of the plate 25 is such that said plate can normally be rotated only within the limits prescribed by the aforementioned curved wall elements 38. Said disc 31 is yieldably maintained in juxtaposition with said stud 33 by means of a spring 34, and the complete rod assembly includes a knurled end knob 35 and covering plate 36, there being suitable screw-retaining means holding said assembly together. When it is desired to rotate the rod 24 to tilt the plate 25 beyond the limits allowed by said coacting cut-out and stud arrangement 32-33, the purpose of which will be hereinafter seen, it is merely necessary for the operator to pull'outwardly on said knob 35, against the tension of the spring 34, to disengage the locking disc from said stud, and the rod and plate may then be manually rotated as far as desired.

As hereinabove described, the novel, abacus-like purchase indicator and tabulator 40 featured in the present invention is mounted on and projects upwardly from the top of the container 10. Said indicator unit includes an inverted U-shaped frame including a top 41 and depending parallel legs 42 and 43, said legs being welded or .2 otherwise rigidly secured to said container end walls. The front face of said indicator unit is covered by a transparent glass or plastic member 44, and the opposite or rearward face of said indicator unit is open. As mentioned, the upper front wall portion 2th of the container is also provided with a transparent panel, and in the illustrated form of the invention a single angled transparent panel 44- is designed to fit within both of said front wall portions to form an integral unit. In lieu of the angled front wall design shown, however, it is contemplated that a straight, vertical front face might be preferred, and the invention is by no means to be limited or confined to the exact structural arrangement illustrated in the drawing. The lower portion of said transparent front panel 44 is provided with a slotted opening 45 communicating with the container interior compartment 27, and a slotted opening 46 is provided in said panel to communicate with the compartment 28.

Carried by and between the counter unit side elements 42 and 43 are a plurality of horizontal rods 47, there being four of said rods in the preferred form of the invention. Slidably mounted on the uppermost rod are a plurality of small discs 43 having the numeral 1 designated on both sides thereof, while the rod thereunder carries similar discs 49 with a numerical value of 5, the next lower rod having discs 50 with a numerical value of 10, while the lowermost rod is provided with discs 51 having a numerical value of 25. As shown, said discs are normally carried on the left side of the indicator unit.

In the use of the present invention, when a customer in a restaurant .or diner places his order, the waitress designates the cost thereof by shifting discs 4851 in denominations corresponding to the amount of his purchase to the right-hand side of the indicator, the back wall of said unit being open to make said discs readily accessible to the waitress. The resulting tabulation is apparent to the customer through the transparent front wall 44 of said counter unit, and he then deposits the required amount of money into the upper portion of the container 10. Coins may be inserted through the slotted opening 45 and into the compartment 27 in said container, while bills may be folded and inserted through the slotted opening 46 and into the compartment 28 so that they cant cover or hide the coins, said bills and coins resting on the flat plate member 25. The money deposited on said interior plate is readily visible to the waitress, through the transparent rear panel 22, and to ensure that none of the coins are covered or concealed by other coins, she may rotate the knob 35 to tilt said plate 25, thus shufiiing the coins around and permitting her to quickly and easily view and total the deposit. As hereinabove described,'said plate 25 is normally rotatable only within the limits of the curved inner wall elements 38, thereby preventing said coins from dropping to the bottom of the container before she has counted the same.

When the waitress is satisfied that the amount of the customers purchase has been deposited in the container she may pull outwardly on the knob 35 to disengage the disc and stud locking mechanism 31 33, and she may tilt the plate 25 sufficiently to allow the money to drop off of said plate and into the closed lower portion of said container, thus clearing the upper compartments 27 and 28. She then returns the discs 4851 to their original positions, and the apparatus is ready for use. by the next customer.

At the end of the business day, or at any other convenient time, the proprietor or manager of the establishment can unlock and remove the container rear wall panel 17, and withdraw the contents of the container. The result is that waitresses and other employees do not handle any money, and the possibility of theft is practically eliminated. In actual practice it is advisable to have several automatic money-changing machines conveniently stationed around the restaurant, but this is merely a convenience and is not a critical part of the invention.

As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing detailed description, in addition to minimizing loss through employee theft in a restaurant operation, the present invention provides a novel apparatus which increases the cfliciency of the operation by eliminating the necessity for a waitress writing out a check for each customer, which is tedious and time-consuming. Nor is it necessary for her to audibly inform the patron of the amount he owes. \Vith the present invention the Waitress merely slides the proper denominations appearing on the discs 43-51 to the right-hand side of the indicator 4% to designate the purchases, said abacus-like instrument facilitating the totalling operation, as is well known. While the rearward side of said indicator is open, as described, to permit the manipulation of said discs 48-51 by the waitress, the forward face of said indicator is covered by the transparent member 44, so that the customer cannot manipulate said discs to change the amount designated thereon.

It is to be understood, of course, that while the present invention provides a novel apparatus for tabulating purchase payments and is intended principally for use in restaurants and diners, the invention is by no means to be limited in this respect. It is contemplated that the invention might also be advantageously employed in numerous other types of commercial establishments, and it is to be clearly understood that the invention is in no way to be limited in its use. Moreover, it is intended to include herein not only the operational and structural details illustrated and described, but also any and all modifications or changes therein as may come within the spirit of the invention and Within the scope of the following claims.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for collecting a customers purchase payments, comprising: a box-like container having a bottom, a pair of end walls, and having front and back walls with transparent upper sections, said transparent front wall section having a slotted opening therein through which money may be inserted by a customer, and one of said walls having a key-operated removable panel permitting the withdrawal of money deposited in said container; a horizontal rod'rotatably mounted in the upper portion of said container and projecting through and beyond one of said container end walls; a flat plate mounted on and for rotation with said rod, said plate substantially spanning the length and width of said container to define the bottom of a money-receiving compartment in the upper portion of the container with which compartment said slotted front wall opening communicates, said compartment being visible through said transparent wall portions, and said plate defining the top of a non-visible moneyaccumulating compartment therebelow; downwardlyinwardly curved inner wall elements on said container front and back walls closely adjacent said plate longitudinal edges, said wall elements being curved on an arc corresponding to the are described by said plate longitudinal edges when said plate is rotated; and a knob on the outer, projecting end of said rod to facilitate the manual rotation or tilting movement of said plate, said plate being tiltable within the limits of said curved wall elements to cause money resting thereon to shift about, thus enabling a viewer to see and count said money, and said plate being adapted to be manually rotated beyond the confines of said curved inner wall elements to cause said money to fall into the lower, money-accumulating compartment of said container.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1 and having releasable rotation-locking means associated with said rod normally limiting the rotation of said rod and plate within the limits prescribed by said container inner wall elements, the release of said locking means permitting the tilting of said plate beyond the confines of said inner wall elements when it is desired to direct money thereon into the lower, money-accumulating compartment.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 2 and wherein said rotation-locking means comprises: a locking disc mounted on the outwardly-projecting end of the rod, said disc normally being positioned immediately adjacent the outer face of the container end wall but being movable outwardly therefrom, and said disc having a peripheral arcuate cutout the arc of which is coextensive with the arc of said curved inner wall elements; a stud projecting from said container end wall and positioned between the shoulders formed by said disc cutout portion when said disc is in its normal position adjacent the wall, said disc shoulder and projecting stud assembly limiting the rotation of said rod and plate within the limits of said curved inner wall elements; and spring means yieldably maintaining said locking disc in its normal position adjacent the container wall, outward pulling force on the knob functioning to move said disc outwardly out of locking engagement with said stud and permitting the tilting of the plate beyond the confines of said inner wall elements to allow money thereon to fall into the lower, money-accumulating compartment.

4. The apparatus recited in claim 1, and having a purchase indicator on said container having means to visually indicate the amount of the customers purchases.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 37,825 3/63 Reifelt 35-33 529,383 11/94 Harvey 2327 1,549,466 8/25 Doldt 2325 2,199,086 4/40 Weatherford 2327 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING A CUSTOMER''S PURCHASE PAYMENTS, COMPRISING: A BOX-LIKE CONTAINER HAVING A BOTTOM, A PAIR OF END WALLS, AND HAVING FRONT AND BACK WALLS WITH TRANSPARENT UPPER SECTIONS, SAID TRANSPARENT FRONT WALL SECTION HAVING A SLOTTED OPENING THEREIN THROUGH WHICH MONEY MAY BE INSERTED BY A CUSTOMER, AND ONE OF SAID WALLS HAVING A KEY-OPERATED REMOVABLE PANEL PERMITTING THE WITHDRAWAL OF MONEY DEPOSITED IN SAID CONTAINER; A HORIZONTAL ROD ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER AND PROJECTING THROUGH AND BEYOND ONE OF SAID CONTAINER END WALLS; A FLAT PLATE MOUNTED ON AND FOR ROTATION WITH SAID ROD, SAID PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY SPANNING THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF SAID CONTAINER TO DEFINE THE BOTTOM OF A MONEY-RECEIVING COMPARTMENT IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE CONTAINER WITH WHICH COMPARTMENT SAID SLOTTED FRONT WALL OPENING COMMUNICATES, SAID COMPARTMENT BEING VISIBLE THROUGH SAID TRANSPARENT WALL PORTIONS, AND SAID PLATE DEFINING THE TOP OF A NON-VISIBLE MONEYACCUMULATING COMPARTMENT THEREBELOW; DOWNWARDLYINWARDLY CURVED INNER WALL ELEMENTS ON SAID CONTAINER FRONT AND BACK WALLS CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID PLATE LONGITUDINAL EDGES, SAID WALL ELEMENTS BEING CURVED ON AN ARC CORRESPONDING TO THE ARC DESCRIBED BNY SAID PLATE LONGITUDINAL EDGES WHEN SAID PLATE IS ROTATED; AND A KNOB ON THE OUTER, PROJECTING END OF SAID ROD TO FACILITATE THE MANUAL ROTATION OR TILTING MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATE, SAID PLATE BEING TILTABLE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF SAID CURVED WALL ELEMENTS TO CAUSE MONEY RESTING THEREON TO SHIFT ABOUT, THUS ENABLING A VIEWER TO SEE AND COUNT SAID MONEY, AND SAID PLATE BEING ADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY ROTATED BEYOND THE CONFINES OF SAID CURVED INNER WALL ELEMENTS TO CAUSE SAID MONEY TO FALL INTO THE LOWER, MONEY-ACCUMULATING COMPARTMENT OF SAID CONTAINER. 